The Twins signed 38-year old righty swinging Jamey Carroll over the winter to be their starting SS in 2012. Carroll played in 146 games for the Dodgers last year and he was 131 of 452 (.290 avg, .706 OPS) with 52 runs scored, 0 homers, 17 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. He has now played in 1,065 games in his first 10 years in the majors and he is 826 for 2,974 (.278 avg, .704 OPS) with 469 runs scored, 12 homers, 214 RBIs and 63 stolen bases. Carroll played in 66 games at SS for the Dodgers last year and he made 4 errors while showing pretty awful range. If Carroll can hit around .280 and make the plays he can get to, the Twins will be happy with him.

27-year old switch-hitting Tsuyoshi Nishioka was a complete bust as a rookie for the Twins in 2011. He played in 68 games for the Twins last year and he was 50 for 221 (.226 avg, .527 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 0 homers, 19 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Nishioka also made a stunning 10 errors in 60 games at SS for the Twins last year, but he did show pretty good range. He is going to have to have a good spring to ensure he doesn’t start the 2012 season in AAA.

25-year old righty swinging Trevor Plouffe had a rough time at SS last year for the Twins. He had 11 errors in only 45 games at SS last year while showing awful range. He is likely going to get most of his P.T. for the Twins in the outfield in 2012.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SS IN 2012: C

27-year old switch-hitting Alexi Casilla will be the Twins’ starting 2B once again in 2012. He has not played in more than 100 games in any of his first six years in the majors, so the Twins are hoping he can stay healthy in 2012. Casilla played in 97 games for the Twins last year and he was 84 for 323 (.260 avg, .691 OPS) with 52 runs scored, 2 homers, 21 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. He has now played in 409 games in his first six years in the majors and he is 323 of 1,281 (.252 avg, .647 OPS) with 177 runs scored, 10 homers, 117 RBIs and 50 stolen bases. Casilla had 6 errors in 56 games at 2B for the Twins last year while showing off pretty good range. This could be Casilla’s breakout year if he can just stay healthy.

27-year old righty swinging Luke Hughes hurt his shoulder playing winter ball but he’s almost ready to start playing. He played in 96 games for the Twins last year and he was 64 for 287 (.223 avg, .627 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 7 homers, 30 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Hughes has now played in 98 games in his first two years in the majors and he is 66 for 294 (.224 avg, .636 OPS) with 32 runs scored, 8 homers, 31 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Hughes played in 37 games at 2B for the Twins and he only made 2 errors while showing good range. His versatility in the field might help him make the Twins’ roster.

28-year old lefty swinging Brian Dinkelman took over at 2B late last year and he played well. He played in 23 games for the Twins last year and he was 22 for 73 (.301 avg, .661 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 0 homers, 4 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Dinkelman also played in 127 games in AAA-ball last year and he was 114 of 469 (.243 avg, .640 OPS) with 54 runs scored, 3 homers, 41 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Dinkelman didn’t make any errors in 11 games at 2B for the Twins last year while showing off outstanding range. He will need a good spring to make the Twins’ roster when the 2012 season begins.

27-year old switch-hitting Tsuyoshi Nishioka played in 6 games at 2B for the Twins last year and he made 2 errors while showing pretty awful range there. He will likely be focusing on playing SS for the Twins this year.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2B IN 2012: C